News Center

At BlueCross, we want to help you live a healthier life — and our National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accredited Quality Improvement Program is one of the ways we do it. NCQA rates health insurance plans based on the results of care you get and what you say about your care.

NCQA has included multiple health plan expectations in the Health Plan Accreditation standards that challenge an organization such as BlueCross to include specific processes to address health equity and access to care for all members. 

In 2023, using data from several publicly available sources, we released our first Health Equity Report, which focused on focus on how social factors impact physical and mental wellbeing. The report made headlines as BlueCross SVP & Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea Willis and SVP & Chief Data & Engagement Officer Sherri Zink shared our findings with local, national and global audiences at conferences, during media interviews and on social media throughout 2023.

In the 2024 version, we added a section on social drivers of health featuring our proprietary Social Risk Index and highlighted efforts to help improve health outcomes. The 2024 edition highlights the impact of 20 key social drivers, and provides updated data on key health categories including:

• Mental health
• Cancer
• Child & adolescent well-care
• Chronic condition management (high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma)
• Maternal health

The 2024 report also reveals that:

• Maternal health disparities persist, and they play a role in maternal mortality — substance abuse contributed to 39% of all pregnancy-related deaths.
• In Tennessee, Hispanic members are the least likely of all racial groups to be screened for colorectal cancer at the recommended age.
• One in four Tennesseans had a mental illness in 2021, and Black members were less likely than members of other races to receive follow-up care within seven days of a hospitalization. 

Our goal is to work with you and your provider to improve your health and to help make sure you get the preventive screenings and tests you need. If our records indicate you may need a particular test, such as a diabetes eye exam, we may send you reminders throughout the year, including:

Health and Wellness
BlueCross provides you with resources to help improve and manage your health. To learn more about these resources, visit bcbst.com/wellnesscenter or call the Member Service number on the back of your Member ID card.

Decision Support Tools
With these resources, you can get help with handling health issues, formulating questions to ask your doctor, understanding symptoms, and exploring health topics and wellness tips that matter to you most. We also offer a shopping and decision support program, and you can obtain information about the average amount paid to network providers and estimates of your out-of-pocket costs for certain items and services by using our healthcare cost estimator.

You can use our Healthcare Cost Estimator by logging in to bcbst.com and clicking Find Care, or by logging into the BCBSTN app and choosing Get Care.

How you can learn more

For more information about quality at BlueCross, please click to view the educational resources below.